"Zhang Zhuangtou was arrested by the Xianyang County Sheriff?"
Both Wei Shufen and Chai Yingluo were shocked. Wasn't that stubborn old man said to be highly respected locally? Previously, he had greatly assisted them in gathering information and mobilizing people. The authorities had always been lenient and polite to such a local elder—how could they suddenly turn against him and arrest him?
Pei Fei slowly explained. After Wei Shufen and the others left Xianyang, a new round of troop conscription had begun in the area. It was said that additional forces were being sent to the Northwest battlefield—some claimed it was to continue fighting the Tuyuhun, while others said it was to attack the Gaochang Kingdom. The news was chaotic.
The key issue was that the area was already severely lacking in able-bodied men, and it was currently the busy spring farming season when labor was needed everywhere. Zhang Zhuangtou was responsible for overseeing vast tracts of farmland and encouraging agricultural production. He had been complaining daily about the labor shortage, warning that even cultivated fields would be left fallow. When he heard about the new conscription, he flew into a rage. Coincidentally, the clerk delivering the orders was also hot-tempered, and after a few words, they came to blows.
Despite his age, the old man Zhang was quite strong, and his men were nearby. In the ensuing brawl, the county clerk was injured and returned to the yamen, reporting that "rogue troublemakers were resisting imperial orders and plotting rebellion." This time, even the local officials who were familiar with Zhang couldn't suppress the matter and had no choice but to arrest him and send him to jail, hoping to resolve the situation gradually later.
"My brother said that when Zhang Zhuangtou was hauled away in wooden shackles and chains, he was still shouting for someone to keep an eye on the irrigation channels, fearing the crops would wither if watering was delayed," Pei Fei sighed. The two daughters of the Chai and Wei families also lamented, deeply sympathetic to the old man.
Pei Lvshi had been swamped lately, preparing for his sister's wedding while also pulling strings inside and outside the Xianyang County government to rescue Zhang Zhuangtou. Though he held the noble title of Duke of Hedong and enjoyed high status and generous stipends, he held no official position and thus had no real power. Apart from spending large sums on bribes, he had few avenues to get things done, and his hair had turned even whiter from worry.
Pei Fei's visit to the Purple Void Monastery served two purposes: first, to personally thank the two women for their efforts in facilitating her marriage, and second, to share her brother's burdens. Her family's influence in and around the capital had long since dissipated. Though her new husband, Prince Zhao, was the eldest among the Supreme Emperor's younger sons, he held little actual power. She could only cautiously ask Chai Yingluo whether Prince Consort Chai of the Qiao State had any connections with the Xianyang County Magistrate and if he could put in a word.
While Chai Yingluo remained silent in thought, Wei Shufen, recalling how Li Yuangui and others had received much help from the Pei siblings and how Zhang Zhuangtou had also contributed greatly to their search for his sister, couldn't help but speak up first:
"Old Zhang harbors no rebellious thoughts—he's just wholly devoted to farming the imperial farmland, terrified that missing the agricultural season would lead to famine. The court has long decreed that agriculture is the foundation of all industries. If all the able-bodied men are conscripted, who will harvest the crops in autumn? Without taxes paid, wouldn't we all starve? Harsh officials drive people to rebellion—this has been true since ancient times. If Sister Ying's family can lend a hand to help rescue him, it would be an immeasurable act of virtue."
Pei Fei gave her a grateful smile, while Chai Yingluo chuckled, "You’re quick to offer favors without lifting a finger yourself... Honestly, my father has lived in the capital his whole life, and through all sorts of convoluted connections, he can certainly get a word to the Xianyang authorities. Old Zhang himself isn’t the issue, but his offense involves the troop conscription for the Northwest campaign. That’s... Well, my father would likely need to investigate carefully first."The Tang Dynasty's campaigns against the northwestern vassal states like Tuyuhun and Gaochang had long been a contentious issue among court officials. Wei Shufen's father was a staunch leader of the anti-war faction, while the opposing pro-war faction was led by none other than His Majesty the Emperor... At this thought, she couldn't help but shiver.
"My father still holds the nominal title of Sixteen Guards General," Chai Yingluo sighed. "If he intervenes to help these draft resisters causing trouble at the militia headquarters, some might deliberately interpret it as 'conspiring against state policy' and cause trouble."
As daughters of official families, they understood this principle well: civil officials could openly oppose war, but when military officers did so, it carried the implication of cowardice and dereliction of duty...
"I've got it!" Wei Shufen slapped her thigh. "I'll go home and tell Father about this. He's repeatedly advised His Majesty against the northwestern campaigns, citing ancient wisdom and grand principles until he's blue in the face—all to no avail. Old Man Zhang's case is the perfect example of the people's suffering. If Father learns of it, he certainly won't stand idly by, and it'll give him more substance for his court remonstrance!"
Chai Yingluo immediately understood and laughed, "So you're having your father wield Old Man Zhang as a weapon to swing at the imperial countenance... Well, as long as our luck isn't too terrible..."
"Luck?" Pei Fei looked worried. "Old Man Zhang caught between ruler and minister, like immortals battling... His Majesty respects Minister Wei, but that doesn't mean he'll show the same leniency to a common farmer. If the imperial wrath flares and he orders immediate execution..."
Having lived at the Weibei estate for so long, she'd grown quite concerned for Old Man Zhang. Chai Yingluo spread her hands and smiled, "There's no helping it. We can only gamble on our enlightened ruler's benevolent virtue."
...I have absolutely no confidence in that, Wei Shufen thought silently. His own younger brother was still imprisoned in the city gate tower without release.
"Moreover," the Master of the Purple Void Monastery said with a meaningful glance at the minister's eldest daughter, "if Minister Wei presses too hard in court, it might trigger another consequence. After the great turmoil, the population has sharply declined, leaving us short of both farmers and soldiers—this is fact, and His Majesty won't deny it. If even the relatively prosperous and populous capital suburbs are causing such drafting troubles, other regions must be worse. Without enough troops for the northwest battlefield, His Majesty would have to compensate in other areas—diplomacy, for instance, or marriage alliances..."
"He'll be in more hurry to finalize the Gaochang marriage candidate!" Wei Shufen blurted out. Chai Yingluo nodded agreement.
As they knew, the only readily available candidate the Son of Heaven was considering to send to Gaochang was Li Yuangui. Given time for careful selection considering various factors, someone else might be chosen. But if pressured to decide within days, Li Yuangui's chances of going west would increase dramatically. Since this involved imperial clan marriages, the Emperor would likely consult the Empress first—and Chai Yingluo had already planted words with Empress Zhangsun...
"I'm going home right now!" Wei Shufen sprang to her feet. "Sister Ying, please have someone prepare my horse!"
Amid Chai Yingluo's loud teasing and Pei Fei's muffled giggles, she had no time for embarrassment or hesitation. Escorted by Purple Void Monastery attendants, she headed straight for the city and home.Today, her father wasn't on duty at the Chancellery. After returning home from court in the afternoon, he went straight to his study, burying himself in writing some historical records from an unknown previous dynasty. Wei Shufen mustered her courage and barged in. After paying her respects, she first recounted the case involving Zhang Zhuangtou. Her father seemed quite interested, asking for some details and then writing a dispatch to have the case files retrieved. It appeared just as they had guessed—Wei Zheng intended to use this case as an example to forcefully oppose the northwestern campaign in court.
But once the serious matter was concluded, without even a moment's pause, the Chancellor delivered a sudden blow:
"A Fen, you are not to leave the house anymore. Prepare needlework with your mother and get your dowry ready. General Cheng will come next month to take you as his bride."
"Next month... so soon?"
Wei Shufen choked on her words, but her father had no patience left for reasoning or lecturing. He called for a servant and ordered them to take her back to her bedroom in the inner courtyard, instructing that she be strictly watched from then on and never allowed to leave the house again.
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